June 2002
Page 1 - Beware of the Stronghold of Cold Love By Francis Frangipane
Page 2 - God Will Guide Us By Kevin McClure
Page 3 - Beauty By Mary Ann Herzan
Page 4 - A Lutheran Charismatic Bible School
Page 5 - Q & A - Speaking in Tongues By Paul Anderson
Page 6 - Directors Note
Q & A - Speaking in Tongues
By Paul AndersonQ: I recently received prayer to receive the gift of tongues. The person told me to start speaking out, as if I was priming the pump. I wanted the gift to be of God and not me, so I didn't. Was I wrong?
A: The gifts of the Spirit are both divine and human. St. Paul writes that "if a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith" (Romans 12:6). In other words, the level of his faith will impact the prophetic word. Gifts are "the manifestation of the Spirit" (I Corinthians 12:7), but they are channeled through human instruments so the way they are expressed will be different with each individual.
The written Word is also both a divine and a human book. The personalities of the authors show through, but so does the personality of the Author, the Holy Spirit. Peter says that the writers "spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21). The living Word, Jesus Christ, is likewise both divine and human. To emphasize his divinity to the exclusion of his humanity is heresy.
God doesn't speak in tongues-we do. The disciples at Pentecost "began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them" (Acts 2:4). The human side: we speak. The divine side: the Spirit enables us to speak in tongues. We use the same vocal chords for speaking in tongues as we do for talking in our primary language. A prophecy cannot be expressed unless a person is willing to open his mouth and speak. And, likewise, the gift of tongues cannot be expressed unless a person is willing to open his mouth and let the sounds out. People who pray for the gift of tongues sometimes keep their mouths closed, expecting the Spirit to jolt them or to open their mouths. The Spirit doesn't work that way. We open our mouth, we speak out sounds by faith (just as a person prophesying must step out by faith), and the Spirit takes those sounds and brings forth a language. Priming the pump is similar to the priests stepping into the Red Sea as an action of faith before the water parted. They might have said, "I'll move when God moves," but God had already instructed them, "I'll move when you move." So God acts when we take the first step and begin to speak. What we speak doesn't matter, as long as it is not our primary language. The Christian life is more a matter of receiving than of doing, but in order to receive, we must take a step of faith and do something. "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6) or to receive from Him.
So if you have asked for the gift of tongues, believe that God as a generous Father loves to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask (Luke 11:13). Receive it by faith, open your mouth, and begin to offer up sounds of praise like a little child. Don't worry that you feel foolish. You are being childlike, not childish, and there's a world of difference. "Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it" (Luke 18:17). This isn't the time for your mind to be engaged. Paul writes that when I speak in tongues, "my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful" (I Corinthians 14:14). If you get only a single phrase, let that be your offering of worship until the Spirit increases your prayer language vocabulary. All the gifts of the Spirit are developed with use. Paul says that we are built up by speaking in tongues, so we should do it often, whether we feel different or not. It is a faith action, and it opens up the reception and development of other spiritual gifts. But let your focus remain on a good Father rather than a good gift. Whether the release comes today, or next month, or next year is not as important as believing that God is a good God.
